


from my hands to yours

by Wildcard



Series: The Wakandan International Outreach Centre [2]
Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: Collection: Purimgifts Day 2, Food, Pre-endgame, Wakandan traditions, post-black panther, wakandan culture & customs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:42:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22984981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wildcard/pseuds/Wildcard
Summary: After receiving gifts for Purim, Shuri decides that she should share a little bit of Wakandan culture. What better way to do so than through food?
Series: The Wakandan International Outreach Centre [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1651834
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12
Collections: Purimgifts 2020





	from my hands to yours

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hhertzof](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hhertzof/gifts).



“Gather ‘round, gather ‘round, children,” Shuri said brightly, clapping her hands together. She felt like a teacher when she did that, a sensation that was especially odd since some of the people at the Wakandan International Outreach Centre were older than her, but it served to cut through the chatter and gain everyone’s attention immediately.  
  
The kitchen doors swung open and Wakandans marched out, bearing wide, woven trays piled high with multicolored rice and glistening cubes of lamb. The thick brown sauce that the lamb was cooked in was redolent with spices and herbs, bright pomegranate seeds and pale halves of cashew glinting over the amassed food.  
  
“Yesterday, many of you made food for us, for your Purim holiday, so today, we are going to share food from Wakanda. This is Wakandan Jeweled Vegetable Pilau with Berbere Braised Lamb, and it is a high festival food we have on the day we celebrate the 5 tribes, but also whenever we wish to celebrate something special. Since the next Feast of Five will be years away, I have decided to celebrate the 7-month anniversary of the Centre's opening,” she explained as the trays were set down on the tables in the canteens.  
  
Nakia and Shuri had both wanted to supervise its making but in the end, Shuri had grown distracted thinking of a pomegranate-shelling machine and Nakia had been called to the infirmary to help. 

It didn’t matter. Enough Wakandans had heeded the call to help that the kitchen had been full of volunteers eager to make their home country’s dishes once more.

“There are five different key parts to the dish, to represent the Five Tribes.” Shuri gestured at the trays grandly, continuing to speak as dishes were put into place and utensils crossed each other on the places. “First, there is the lamb in the center. It is raised by the Border Tribe. Next, there is the rice. It is grown by the River Tribe, on the wet banks. The onions and carrots are grown by the Mining Tribe, they who know best what lies under the ground, and the spices are gathered and traded for from all over Wakanda by the Merchant Tribe. Our Tribe, the Golden Tribe, provides the clarified butter, golden as sunshine and the peace and prosperity within which to grow everything else and feast in safety.”

The visitors sat at the tables, unsure if they should start eating or not. Their faces all turned to her, sunflowers following the sun, and Shuri picked up her plate to take the first ritual bite. As the others copied her, Nakia took over the lecture.  
  
“The Mountain Tribe, the Jabari, do not leave their mountains, so they are not a part of this celebration. They reject vibranium and all technology, much like your Amish do, so they will not feast with us to celebrate the day the King Bashenga was blessed by the Goddess Bast and told of the uses of the heart-shaped herb.”  
  
In front of everyone else, Shuri was finally eating like a princess should. The lamb sauce did not stain past her first finger joints and she mixed each mouthful of rice and lamb separately instead of combining it all into one mess like she’d used to back in Wakanda. Nakia smiled slightly, wishing that she could take a photo to send back to the Queen Mother. Without her brother and mother there to counterweight her, Shuri was far steadier on her own. She was still the laughing princess who took tradition too lightly, but here, leading the Wakandan International Outreach Center, she was the queen of a kingdom of foreigners who gave their allegiance out of love rather than birthright - and she led them well and loved them even better.

“Only once every five years, by our calendar, do we hold the Feast of Five to honor all the Wakandan people. It is a day of great celebration, where the temples and schools create large trays so all may help themselves, and each family cooks their own version of the dish. Families all have their own mixtures of spices and children are set to crush the spices weeks in advance so when the Feast of Five ends, everyone’s fingers will be colored and scented.”  
  
When Shuri stopped speaking, she held up her hand, showing the way that the lamb’s sauce had dyed her fingertips a bright, sharp red, vibrant as the pomegranate seeds that so liberally dotted the dishes.

“It reminds us that we are all one people. We are all Wakandans together and we share our happiness and our sorrows.”  
  
Many of the younger children were sucking their fingers clean, looking in wonder at the colored skin.  
  
“Some of you may one day visit Wakanda. Some of you, perhaps, will earn the tattoos of our people. But today, by Bast’s blessing, you all are of Wakanda.”  
  
She straightened her back, taking the ritual pose of a royal proclamation.  
  
“This say I, Princess Shuri of Wakanda! Wakanda forever!”  
  
The cheers that greeted her words drowned out the answering Wakadan cries of acknowledgment; Nakia looked at Shuri and without thinking, crossed her arms over her chest in the Wakandan salute.  
  
Princess or Queen, Shuri was worth following. 

**Author's Note:**

> The idea of Wakandan Jeweled Vegetable Pilau with Berbere Braised Lamb was actually created by Nnedi Okorafor, author of Black Panther: Long Live the King! She's got a fantastic interview about Wakandan food and culture over here if you want more detail:
> 
> https://www.themarysue.com/nnedi-okorafor-food/
> 
> I made up most of the details about what the different parts mean; the finger-staining bit comes from the idea of how fingers are stained with henna, usually in designs, but also how whenever I use certain vegetables like beetroot, my fingers end up dyed.


End file.
